Gallifrey Calling
by BlueEyedGryphon
Summary: This is a sequel to "Jenny Who", my first Doctor Who fanfic. It continues with the idea that Vastra's Jenny is the Doctor's anomalous daughter but has forgotten. Seeing the Gallifreyan writing all over the walls of the bedroom in which the Doctor stayed after his regeneration activates something within Jenny. This eventually leads her on a quest to find Gallifrey.
1. Circles Overlapping

A/N: This is a sequel to Jenny Who, my first Vastra and Jenny fic. It adheres to the original ending, so at the moment Jenny is unaware of her kinship to the Doctor. This takes place immediately after first episode of Season 8.

~.~.~.~.~

The Patternoster Gang returned to their home after the events at the now closed Mancini's Family restaurant. As Clara changed her cloths and met with Vastra in the conservatory before leaving, Jenny went to the room where the Doctor had stayed to clean up after their guest.

When Jenny entered the room carrying a sponge and a water bucket. She gazed at the calculations all over the floor, and the overlapping circles of the Gallifreyan language all over the wall. "What a mess" the maid initially thought to herself. She lifted a wet sponge from the water bucket and squeezed it until it was only damp. She was about to start erasing the marks. It occurred to her that it didn't seem right to erase them. Had the doctor written all this for a reason? Vastra had described the markings as mathematical nonsence, and the lizard saw little point in keeping the Gallifreyan graffiti on the walls, as it didn't translate and could not be understood by anyone in the household.

Jenny took another look around the room. She stared in awe of the beautiful circular writing of the Gallifreyan language. And the math on the floor started to look like more than nonsense. Jenny dropped her sponge back inot the bucked as she picked up the abandoned piece of chalk. She followed the peculiar urge to add to the markings. She started with the familiar symbols on the floor. She did not know from where all this was coming. Her studies into mathematics was limited, though it had been part of the training that Vastra had given her. Several minutes later she was still scrawling on the floor.

She was interrupted by a rough knock on the door before Strax came in. "Don't come in any further", she told him, concerned that the Sontaran's careless footsteps would smudge the marks. Strax stopped where he was. "Madam has asked that I assist you with cleaning the room, as it appears to be taking you so long. Would a grenade help?" he offered.

"No grenades," she responded with mild irritation. "I am no longer cleaning this room, and neither are you. Please leave."

The Sontaran shrugged his shoulders and left to report to his "superior officer". He stomped down the staorres and returned to the conservatory where Vastra sat in a wooden chair, enjoying tea.

"The boy says he is not cleaning the room and that I should not do so either."

"Oh?" the Silurian raised her eyebrows. She was a little surprised, and wondered what Jenny was doing in the room for so long.

"I suggested a grenade but he refused my assistance," Strax complained.

"I see." Vastra took another sip of tea as the Sontaran stared expectantly at her.

"Perhaps a bite from a Sontaran sand worm will properly motivate the boy".

"Jenny will not be bitten by a Sontaran sand worm or anything else for that matter. She may do as she likes. If she does not want your help then you are excused."

Upstairs Jenny stood from the floor and gazed at the walls. She recognized that the circular language was Gallifreyan as it looked similar to the markings on the crib at Demon's Run. As she continued to stare at the alien writing the more it seemed familiar to it. As though she should be able to comprehend it. She stepped toward the wall with the chalk still in hand and began adding circles. She didn't have time to be surprised at this action, or the fact that she appeared to have the ability to draw perfect circles. As though in a trance she continued writing.

Hours later Vastra's growing concern drove her to check in on her wife. It was unusual for Jenny to spend so much time in isolation doing an unknown activity. The Silurian entered the bedroom. She saw the scrawling on the floor and the Gallifreyan on the walls. She could tell that some had been written by the Doctor and then added to by Jenny. She observed the woman, still adding circles upon circles. "Jenny, what are you doing?" the green lady asked. Jenny did not pause what she was doing, or even acknowledge the Silurian.

The Silurian stepped closer to her young wife, and admired the Gallifreyan she was writing. "Jenny, do you know what..."

"Shush," Jenny interrupted. She then focused deeply on finishing tiny circle, then continued on to making a new larger one.

Vastra found this both curious and rather concerning. Since the regeneration in 1886, Jenny had forgotten the upleading events and that she was the Doctor's daughter. She was unaware of her Gallifreyan lineage. Vastra had thought it likely that she would be happier and safer that way. Seeing the Gallifreyan writing all over the walls however, must have activated something in Jenny. Her wife appeared to be in an obsessive trance as she added to the writing.

"Jenny, please, you need rest," the Silurian stated.

The comment was ignored. This behavior was so unlike Jenny, who was normally so alert and as attentive as a wife as she pretended to be as a maid. The green lady gently grasped the right wrist of her lover to stop the incessant writing. This action elicited a sharp shriek and intense glare from Jenny. The Silurian immediately let go.

"Jenny what's wrong?" Vastra asked, wanting to help.

"Can't stop." Jenny finally responded after several moments of silence.

Vastra let this sink in. Can't stop, or won't stop, she wondered. "Would you like me to go?"

Jenny provided a gruff nod in return.

The green lady prepared herself for bed, trying to avoid feeling dejected, or allow her worry for Jenny to overwhelm her thoughts. A few minutes later she found herself laying a lone in bed. An occurrence that has not happened since marrying Jenny. She found it to be a cold and lonely place and found herself wondering how she had ever slept without the warmth of her wife's warm blooded body next to her.

Several hours later Vastra awoke from a restless night of sleep only to discover that her wife had never joined her in bed. Her concern from the night before grew immensely. She paced quickly to the other bedroom and entered. She saw that Jenny was still up, and writing on walls. "Jenny" she called, trying to get her wife's attention. It did not work the first time. She called again. Still no acknowledgement. She stepped toward her wife, who was now working diligently on another portion of the wall. "Jenny, please, you need rest."

There was no response.

"Jenny, will you please, at least acknowledge me".

Nothing. The woman continued to write in circles.

The Silurian was at a loss. Jenny was not communicating with her, or perhaps was unable to do so. She had been up all night and seemingly in a trance. Concerned for the health of her wife, Vastra stepped closer until she was directly behind her. She wrapped her long arms around the petite woman, careful not to impede the movement of the right arm, which had so upset Jenny the night before. "Please, come to bed" she begged her wife, "I don't sleep well without you."

Usually such a remark would appeal to Jenny's great sense of empathy, but at this time the woman continued her writing.

The Silurian raised one of her hands to Jenny's head and briefly petted the soft hair that had come undone from the tight bun sometime during the night. She could sense more warmth then usual coming from Jenny. She softly placed the back of her scaly green hand against Jenny's forehead. The strong heat at that location confirmed Vastra's suspicions of a mild fever.

With Jenny either reluctant or unable to communicate or get herself to bed, the Silurian decided that it was in Jenny's best interest that she use their telepathic link. She attempted to reach out with her mind. Usually in the past when they managed to link their minds, Vastra felt a certain comfort that she associated with Jenny's courteous personality. This time, however, all she sensed was confusion. She briefly saw in her lover's mind an overwhelming amount of the circles associated with the Gallifreyan writing. Then the image disappeared. Vastra placed two fingers at Jenny's temples and projected into the center of the woman's mind an image of perfect sleep.

As soon as she had done so, Jenny, fell limp against her. Vastra caught the woman easily and carried her wife's sleeping form back to the bed that they shared. She pulled the covers over Jenny. She was uncertain what to do next. Since her own sleep was so restless, she thought perhaps to take a nap. She crawled beneath the blankets herself on the other side of the bed.


	2. Strange Dreams

Strange Dreams

A/N: Trigger warning- flashback to sexual abuse, not very detailed. I'm not particularly fond of the idea of forcing someone to go to sleep using manipulation and telepathy as both Vastra and the Doctor have done in the series. I kinda take my frustration about it out on Vastra in this chapter (or rather I have Jenny do so on my behalf). Fanfic is how I process these things….

~.~.~.~.~

 _Jenny was surrounded by circles of various shapes and sizes, all over lapping. They shrank and became more distant, yet also became brighter until they all looked like stars. Jenny was swimming among the stars. She found herself pulled toward a binary system, then to a red planet orbiting the two stars. The closer she came to the planet, the more she could admire its bold color. She flew toward the planet and slowly floated toward the surface. There were people here. She could tell by the buildings. The architecture was so unique and beautiful. A large bubbled citadel could be seen in the distance. Whoever these people were they clearly valued aesthetics. She saw silver trees blazing in the light of two suns. She saw children running about on top of red grass and laughing. Some were dancing around a maypole. All of the people were dressed in varying shades of red. As the tip of her feet was about to touch the red grass great explosions went off in the distance. The children screamed. The planet became dark._

Jenny immediately sat up in the bed and looked around to reacquaint herself to her surroundings. She could not remember going to bedroom. The Silurian was no longer there. It was a rare occurrence that Jenny found herself alone in bed. She usually awoke before the lizard.

She tried to remember how she got to the bedroom, and what she was doing the day before. She pulled off the covers and stood from the bed. She discovered she was still in her maid uniform and thought that was peculiar. She always changed before bed.

She recalled being in the bedroom with red walls yesterday. She remembered the writing, adding to it, and knew that her work was not done. Something had interrupted that work. She felt she needed to return. She walked down the hallway and tried to enter the room, but found that the door was locked. Locking doors in the Victorian home was sometimes done to keep Strax or visitors away from the more dangerous items located in the vault and the lab, but it was rarely done to keep Jenny out, as she was such a talented lock pick anyway. Jenny looked at the lock, it was clearly something beyond the technology of Victorian London. A purple glow emanated from the inside. Perhaps this was one of Vastra's recovered Silurian items. It would not be easily picked. Jenny violently punched the door in frustration.

The noise alerted the Silurian, who then rushed toward it.

"Jenny!" She greeted kindly "I'm glad to see you have awoken, are you feeling alright?" she asked, still concerned about the fever and obsessive behavior regarding the room with the writing.

"I'm fine," Jenny responded distantly.

The Silurian could tell from the tone that Jenny was not fine. The smaller woman was glaring at her. She allowed for a moment of silence as she tried to assess Jenny. "Are you cross with me?" she asked.

Jenny looked away and crossed her arms. She leaned against the door she had previously been banging on.

"It was you. You interrupted my work." Jenny accused.

"Yes," the green lady admitted. "You were not well. You were not in a healthy state of mind."

"I don't care!" Jenny shouted uncharacteristically. This surprised the Silurian. Her wife had never raised her voice at her before. Jenny usually used sarcasm to deflect any offense rather than outwardly express such anger. In fact she couldn't recall a time where Jenny had ever raised her voice.

"Jenny, please, tell me what is wrong" Vastra said calmly.

"You are to never again render me unconscious against my will." Jenny said with a huff while looking Vastra directly in her eyes.

"I- I was worried for you. I couldn't communicate with you. I could barely reach you telepathically." Vastra defended, confused about how her actions had so offended her wife.

"That is not what this is about."

"It's not?"

"No."

"Please, tell me what this is about then."

Jenny shook. "You used your power to control me".

"I…what?"

"I was in a vulnerable state. You used your greater strength and expertise with telepathy to manipulate my mind and body; to render me helpless"

An image of the man who had falsely claimed to be Jenny's uncle was briefly projected into Vastra's mind, until Jenny again broke the connection.

Vastra's mouth gaped open. "Jenny, Jenny, you're not thinking I would…"

"You took away my control of my own body. You coerced me to sleep and put me to bed."

Vastra was stunned as she listened to Jenny's interpretation of what had occurred the night before. "I am so sorry Jenny. I only wished to help".

Jenny flinched, and ignored a tear that was gathering at the corner of her eye. The Silurian waited for a response.

"He would say that too… that he was helping… that he was curing me" Jenny eventually replied bitterly.

Jenny had so rarely discussed the abuse she endured from her uncle. Vastra was not aware of many of the details. "I didn't know that," the green lady quietly admitted. The act of putting her wife to sleep had seemed so innocent at the time, yet clearly it had triggered something deep within her lover. She wanted to hold Jenny, to provide her comfort. Yet she at least understood that touch could further trigger Jenny at this time. "Please, tell me what you need from me."

"A promise, that you will never do that again unless I expressly give you permission."

"I promise," Vastra responded solemnly, giving Jenny direct eye contact.

Jenny nodded her head in acceptance.

"What shall I do then, if you are not communicating with me."

"Just let it play out." Jenny suggested.

"Even if you are working yourself into fever, as you were last night".

"Yes, Vastra," Jenny affirmed as her thoughts returned to the Gallifreyan writings. "I need to do this. I need to understand. I need to see where this is leading me."

"Alright," Vastra acquiesced. Though she wondered if Jenny was even aware of what she was writing. Did she somehow learn to both read and write the Gallifreyan language, or was she somehow being entranced only to complete a message that was not even meant for her.

"Will you unlock it for me, or shall I retrieve my kit," Jenny asked.

"I will unlock it," Vastra agreed. "I just hope, for your own health, that you eat something before returning to this room. She gave Jenny a pleading look.

"Alright". Jenny went to the kitchen and quickly prepared herself some eggs and toast. By the time she returned the room was open and Vastra was elsewhere. Jenny had to find herself another piece of chalk and the original one had been nearly completely used up. Jenny found the part of the wall she had been working on yesterday and continued writing.

It had been several hours, and Vastra found herself getting quite concerned again. She walked past the bedroom where Jenny was still marking all over the floors and walls. In fact at some point the young woman had procured a ladder and started on the ceiling as well. Vastra was curious as to whether Jenny was as entranced this time as she was before. She attempted to get her wife's attention to no avail. Knowing Jenny wished to be undisturbed, she decided to check back later.

Before Vastra was to prepare for bed, she walked by the room again to check on the progress of her wife. The door was closed this time. The Silurian's sensitive ears picked up on soft scratching at the other side, indicating that Jenny was now writing directly on the other side of the door. Vastra sighed with the understanding that she would be having another restless night's sleep without the comfort of her wife's warm body next to her.

When the lizard awoke in the morning, the first thing she did was check on her wife. Jenny was again working on the ceiling. Her tired body swaying with exhaustion on top of the ladder. This was clearly unsafe. Yet Jenny kept at it and continued to ignore any attempt to get her attention.

"A blast bomb would get the boy's attention" Strax suggested. The blast bomb procured a loud noise that would temporarily deafen anyone within a 3 kilometer radius. It did little else. Those who used it enjoyed the advantage of having one sense over their enemies.

"We are not using a blast bomb in this house" Vastra informed the Sontaran.

The conversation was interrupted by a loud thud above them. At least the thud was loud to Vastra's sensitive ears. The Sontaran couldn't hear it at all. Vastra quickly ran up the stairs and entered the bedroom. She found an unconscious Jenny sprawled on the floor beneath the ladder. She must have fallen from it. Vastra kneeled by the petite body of her wife and loudly called Jenny's name. She did not awaken.

The lack of consciousness was likely due to exhaustion rather than the fall itself. Vastra knew that Jenny's Gallifreyan heritage would mean that her body was much stronger and resilient than that of a human's. She was not likely to suffer from a concussion or neck injury from that short of a fall.

From the angle it appeared that Jenny may have landed on her head. Vastra carefully lifted her wife's form and set her on the nearest bed, the one in the same room. Before having the woman lay down completely, the lizard checked the back of Jenny's head for bruising. There was some mild bruising. The woman would likely suffer from a head ache when she woke up. Otherwise she would be fine- with the exception of her likely continued obsession with this room and the writing.

In any case, Vastra was determined to be there when her wife awoke. She sat in a chair by the bed and vigilantly watched Jenny's sleeping form.

 _Jenny again dreamt of the red planet. This time she was in the citadel of Arcadia, floating above the chaos as Daleks and their giant ships descended from the heavens. People dressed in red ran in fear. Mechanized weapons shooting lasers of red and green in every direction, walls obliterated and buildings collapsed. In her position there was nothing she could do to prevent the slaughter. She helplessly floated above while witnessing Daleks gather families of people and exterminating them, murdering the innocents. Again she heard the screams of children before the world beneath her went dark._

Jenny woke with a start and sat up in the bed. The sudden movement alerted the Silurian.

"What is it, Jenny?" Vastra asked.

"Strange dreams," Jenny responded.

"What about?" the green lady asked her wife, hopeful that the woman would now communicate with her.

Jenny hesitated as she tried to remember "A red planet that goes dark". Vastra recognized that the red planet must be Gallifrey, the home world of the Time Lords. She waited quietly for Jenny to elaborate, but she didn't. Jenny looked around the room at the writing now overlapping itself on the walls, ceiling, and floor, "Why am I in this room?" the brown haired woman asked.

"You fell from the ladder while writing on the ceiling". Vastra reminded her.

"I wrote this?" Jenny marveled, "But it's in Gallifreyan".

"Yes, you wrote much of it, especially the part on the ceiling. You don't remember?"

"Vaguely, I s'pose"

"You don't feel the urge to keep writing, do you?" Vastra asked hopefully.

"No, no urge to keep writing" Jenny confirmed.

Vastra sighed, releasing some of her built up tension. She was glad to have Jenny speaking with her again, and relieved that she was done with marking up the room. "Can you read any of it?" the green lady asked.

Jenny looked again and tried to open her mind to the symbols and circles on the ceiling. "Gallifreyan works differently than other written languages" she remarked, surprising even herself. Vastra listened aptly as Jenny struggled to explain. "It is not… phonic. The circles trigger certain points in the Gallifreyan brain sharing pictures, emotion, and sounds from the writer directly into the reader's mind. That's why it doesn't translate. In a sense it is like telepathy; sharing a moment directly with the author. In such a way very comprehensive information from one moment can be shared across time and space. It is a very efficient form of communication."

"Fascinating!" Vastra responded. "So, does it 'trigger' your brain?"

"Well, it shouldn't, should it?" Jenny shifted uncomfortably, "I'm human, right?"

Vastra pursed her lips together, uncertain how much longer she could keep Jenny's secret, even from her. It probably was safer for the woman to believe she was human. Probably better for her to feel as though she belonged here on earth, rather than on a world that was lost. Safer not to know she was the daughter of the Doctor, who so many believed to be a dangerous man and who had so many enemies.

"You wrote it. You don't know what it means?"

Jenny took another look around the room.

Vastra feared she may regret asking. She didn't want to push Jenny into another trance-like state.

As she gazed at the circles overlapping circles images flooded Jenny's mind. A red planet, a wooden barn, a war, explosions, the untempered schism, cities falling, people running. The planet's disappearance. She felt an immense sadness, guilt, and loneliness. The words "Gallifrey is gone" repeated over and over said with several different voices, many incarnations of the Doctor.

She also saw her own story, mixed in with the story of the lost planet. Created not born as a soldier on Messaline using the Doctor's DNA. Chased by the Master much of her life, of which she is already in the third incarnation. Her lost memories of the asylum, the chasm, the eldest of the demon gods, and her second regeneration.

All of this information coming into Jenny's mind overwhelmed her. Yet there were reassurances all over the wall as well. "I am here". These words recurred with multiple voices as well, some of them the Doctors' some of them hers. Both of hers. She heard the voice of her previous reincarnations; the blond soldier and the child who never got to be a child.

While Jenny was reacting to this information overload, her breathing became erratic. Her eyes widened in fear, seconds later she was squinting in pain. Vastra watched, uncertain what to do. "Jenny," the green lady called, "It's alright, stop reading," she told her. Yet Jenny again could not acknowledge her. The Silurian moved from the chair to sit on the bed with her fitful lover and wrapped her in her arms. "Jenny, please, come back to me," Vastra begged. Jenny continued to shake. "Jenny, it's alright, I am here" Vastra said.

For Jenny, Vastra's voice blended in with the others continuously saying "I am here".

"I am here," Jenny quietly repeated.

Vastra smiled when she heard her wife's voice again. "I am here," Vastra said again with encouragement.

Jenny remained in Vastra's arms as she allowed herself to relax against her wife and opened her eyes to see Vastra's green face, wrinkled with concern, peering into her eyes.

"What happened?" the Silurian asked.

Jenny looked at her lover quizzically, uncertain how to answer the question. She reached out with her mind instead _"_ It would be easier to show you," she told her telepathically. Vastra accepted the contact and felt the familiar comfort of the tendrils Jenny's mind touching hers. Jenny shared the experience of receiving all the information at once from the Gallifreyan writing. Of seeing the images of the red planet that then disappeared, and of remembering her own genealogy and history.

"That is a lot to take in all at once" Vastra affirmed outloud.

Jenny simply nodded in agreement.


	3. How Old

Jenny remained quiet as she tried to process the flood of information she had been given. Then an unexpected question escaped her lips, "How old do you think I am?"

"Pardon?" asked the Silurian.

"How old do you think I am?" Jenny repeated as she turned her head to face her lover with in whose arms she remained. "I mean, we've been together since my 2nd regeneration for nearly seven years. For four years before that." Jenny though out loud. "And I was with" she hesitated saying the name of the people she used to believe were her kin "the Flints for about six years." She continued "So my current regeneration has had seven years so far, my first regeneration only had ten years, but who knows how long I wandered as the blond soldier from Messaline. Perhaps I'm older than…" she paused and smiled "Well I guess I'm not likely to be older than you."

"I wouldn't know" Vastra responded. She had only known Jenny since what was thought to be the beginning of the 2nd incarnation. "I don't think I should guess either. I was told by my once well-mannered maid that it was rude to ask or guess the age of a woman". The teasing earned the Silurian a nudge and a grin from Jenny. Vastra chuckled in return.

"That's a silly human rule," Jenny stated.

"Oh? Are humans silly now?" Vastra asked. Jenny had so often come to their defense when the Silurian made an insensitive remark.

"Some of them," Jenny admitted a little sadly.

"I am certain there is a way to find out your age, if it seems important," the Silurian offered sincerely.

Jenny shrugged and became pensive again. "Nah," she said quietly as she shifted into an upright position, "I think there are more important things to do".

"Oh?"

"Yes," Jenny said seriously. She stood from the bed. "I must get to Gallifrey."

"Gallifrey? But Gallifrey is gone!" Vastra stated.

"That depends on the time" Jenny said. "I should be there before the Time War."

"And why on Earth would you want to go to Gallifrey"

"To save it." Jenny replied. "To save Gallifrey I need to become a time lord".

"You are a…"

"No," Jenny interrupted, "I'm not a Time Lord yet. The Doctor- my father, 'E was right the first time. I am an echo of the Time Lords that were. All other Time Lords have gone through extensive training, and most importantly, they have seen the Vortex of Time through the Untempered Schism," the woman explained. "That is what I must do". Jenny informed Vastra. "I will find a way with or without your help," she finished.

"Well then," Vastra responded as she left the bed as well, "I shan't keep you waiting for destiny". She watched as Jenny then made the bed, seemingly before even realizing what she was doing. She raised an eyebrow.

When Jenny looked up and saw her wife's face she laughed, partially at the look and partially at herself. "Sorry, old habits…" she stated. Vastra nodded with understanding. Jenny finished neatening the blankets. "Alright, let's get to workin'," she said.


	4. Dark Corner

Jenny walked right out of the house. She was determined. He pace was faster than usual for the petite woman, yet the tall Silurian could easily keep up.

"Where are we going?" Vastra asked. The ancient warrior had somehow obtained a high status in this society of the apes, and was rather used to being in the lead.

"The Flint's" Jenny said bitterly, her anger showing on her face

"I already killed the man," The green lady reminded Jenny.

"That is not the purpose of our… visit." Jenny said cautiously as her expression turned neutral. "I left something there. Something important".

"What is it?" Vastra asked.

"I think it is called a Vortex Manipulator," Jenny stated. "It is how I came to Victorian London in the first place. It could be broken, but maybe we could repair it."

"You had a Vortex Manipulator? How did you get it?" Vastra asked.

"I became a Time Agent, of course," Jenny responded as though it was a silly question. "I thought it would help me get closer to my father. I guess in a way it did."

Vastra sighed with relief. Other ways she had heard to retrieve such a device were far more unpleasant. "I don't recall you wearing it by the time I saw you that day," she stated, "And I think the Doctor would have noticed".

"When I regenerated into a child it didn't fit me anymore. It fell off of me in an alley" Jenny recalled. "I had forgotten what it was, and was rather confused. I guess it looked rather inconspicuous. No one else picked it up. I recognized it as somethin' that belonged to me when I came across it in the alley later on tryin' to stay out of the cold winds as a match girl. I picked it up and brought it 'ome. I knew it was peculiar lookin' enough that…" she was about to say 'my aunt and uncle', but then recalled they had not in fact been her kin, "the Flints wouldn't like it. Probably would try to destroy or sell it". Jenny said. "So I 'id it away".

"That was clever of you," Vastra approved.

"I felt kind of protective of it," Jenny explained, "But I didn't really know why."

It took them a while to reach the part of town where the Flints had lived. Vastra had been tempted to call a cab or for Mr. Parker, but then chose not to. It seemed like Jenny wanted to walk. Maybe it was helping her process or blow off some steam.

When they came to the old house, they noticed it was a wreck. It had always been in poor condition, but now it was definitely worse. Paint was chipped off all over the place and the wooden paneling was rotting and molding. Jenny knocked on the door and waited impatiently. There was no answer. Jenny tried again a little more petulantly. "I know she's home," Jenny said. They waited, yet still no one came to the door. Jenny, losing her patience, removed a couple of hair pins and tried the lock. Within a few minutes the pair entered the home. Both Jenny and Vastra noticed that the condition inside the home had deteriorated even more than the outside. An unconscious woman rested her head on the table next to an open bottle of gin. Jenny scoffed in disgust when she saw Mrs. Flint, then whispered to Vastra "No need to wake her".

The lizard nodded in agreement as they tip toed around the creaky old house. They went up the stairs. Jenny opened the door to what might be considered a bedroom, yet it was smaller than the coat closet at 13 Paternoster row. The room would barely fit a cot. There wasn't one though. No window either. There was a small chest of drawers, which like everything else in the house was broken. A small blanket was neatly folded on top. "It's just the way I left it," Jenny stated sullenly.

"This is where you slept?" Vastra attempted to whisper, but her aggravation was noticeable in her tone. Jenny nodded to confirm. Vastra imagined the small child that Jenny was shivering on the floor in a corner of the dark room on a cold winter night. The Flints may have been poor, but not as much as they pretended to be. They could have provided the Jenny with at least a straw mattress to protect her from the chill. As a child Jenny had been more neglected than Vastra had been aware. If she knew about Jenny's treatment she would have intervened. It was too late now though.

The petit woman moved the blanket and picked up the chest to move it to the other side of the room. She then felt along the floor boards until she came across the one she knew was lose. She smiled as she lifted it and set it aside. She dug into the space beneath and pulled out a leather wrist strap. She put in on her arm and replaced the floorboard and chest. The blanket she took with her though.

Just as stealthily as before they walked down the stairs, trying to avoid the creaks. When they reached the table Jenny unfolded the blanked wrapped the covering around the woman who had raised her, albeit poorly, for nearly six years. Vastra was awed by this display of compassion. Jenny never seized to amaze her.

They left the house, locking the door behind them, and started their return to Paternoster Row. In the light of day, Jenny opened the flap on the device she retrieved to study the Vortex Manipulator.

"It is burnt out," Jenny informed her wife. "No matter, I'm sure we'll find a way to fix it."

"Yes, I'm sure we will," Vastra affirmed.


	5. Family Reunion

The Silurian prepared a soporific. It was time for a conference call. The only other person they knew who had a Vortex Manipulator was Professor River Song. Perhaps she would be able to tell them how to fix it. "We should invite my father as well," stated Jenny.

"The Doctor?" Vastra asked, "He will not be fond of our plan to go to Gallifrey, I fear".

"'E will be even more upset if 'e finds out we went without lettin' him know," Jenny reasoned, "Don' wanna be in trouble with daddy."

Vastra chuckled. It was strange to hear anyone use such familiarity regarding the Doctor.

Moments later Vastra and Jenny sat at a circular table that was used as an alter as they completed the ritual to enter the structured dream state that would allow for communication beyond the confines of time and space.

In the dream they appeared to be in a similar room, but the walls were altered. Vastra moved to pour some tea that had appeared on the table. Jenny stopped her, "Allow me this time."

The lizard sat patiently and allowed her wife to pour tea as River appeared. "Professor Song, I'm glad you could join us." Vastra welcomed politely.

Jenny offered tea, but as she did so a goblet of wine appeared in front of River instead. "You really must teach me that trick sometime," Jenny insisted.

The professor grinned in return. "Madam Vastra and Miss Jenny, always a pleasure," she greeted. "There are four chairs," she noticed, "who is joining us?"

"Why, your husband of course," answered the Silurian.

"Oh," Jenny remembered, "'E may have changed a bit."

"He has regenerated?" River asked. Jenny nodded to confirm.

Suddenly he was there. The 12th Doctor, in all his glory. "A conference call, Madam Vastra? I thought you had more elaborate ways of getting my attention,"

"I do," affirmed Vastra, "but we also needed to speak with you wife, and that can get rather tricky from what I understand."

The 12th Doctor stared across the table and shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

"Hello, Sweetie," River waved with her fingers.

The Doctor gruffly nodded in return.

It was Jenny's turn now. "Hello Dad," she stated as she poured the man some tea. At this the man nearly flinched. All eyes were on her now. Both the Doctor's and the Professor's brows raised in surprise. If it wasn't awkward before, it was now.

When the Doctor could finally look away from his anomalous daughter he turned to his wife and stated, "It's not what you think." River nodded slowly yet suspiciously as she listened.

After they sorted out that Jenny had been created in unconventional circumstances, which certainly did not involve infidelity, the group was able to move on to discuss the matter at hand. Jenny told how she had recently remembered her origins. "Doctor- Dad" Jenny said. She was struggling with choosing between the two titles. "I must get to Gallifrey", she told him.

"No!" the Doctor responded fervently, "Are you mad?"

"Runs in the family, don' it?" Jenny retorted.

The Doctor glared, but couldn't disagree. River nodded and chuckled, "It most definitely does," she said with a wink.

"Jenny, Jenny," the Time Lord said grimly. He left his chair and walked to the other side on the table and cupped her face in both hands and looked intensly into her eyes, to the point where the woman was afraid he might kiss her again as he had done in Sweetville. Thankfully he did not. "You are so young, not even a quarter century old," he said. "Still a Time Tot compared to the rest of us here".

"But she is not naïve," River argued. "Look at those eyes, they have seen so much, been through so much in less than 25 years."

"This is already her third incarnation," Vastra informed the Professor.

"Hmm, a rough life," River thought out loud, empathizing. She too had gone through regenerations quickly in her early life due to circumstances that were beyond her control.

The Doctor sat back down, and scowled at the ladies. "Don't you see what's happening here?" He inquired. Vastra looked at him curiously. "She is being manipulated."

"By whom?" Vastra would need clarification.

"The Dream Lord, an oracle on Gallifrey".

"Were you too being manipulated when you were writing in that room? That is what started this all," reminded Vastra. "How certain are you that this Dream Lord is on Gallifrey?" she challenged.

The man ignored her, "Jenny, you must learn to protect your mind," the Doctor told her.

"I'm not being manipulated, I'm being called into action. It doesn't matter how or by whom," Jenny interrupted. "I am not a child," Jenny stated defiantly as she directly addressed her father, "but I am not a Time Lord either, and I need to be".

"Let's say, for a moment, that she is being manipulated by a Dream Lord," said River gently, "How would she learn to protect her mind".

"It is part of the Time Lord training," he responded. "Oh," he looked at the table. River nodded.

"How are you to become a Time Lord?" the Professor asked

"To start, at least, I will go to Gallifrey and look into the Untempered Schizm".

"What? No! That's daft!" the Doctor disputed, "That is no more than a cruel rite of passage."

"Perhaps for you, who grew up on Gallifrey, but there is more to it for someone who is less exposed to the Vortex of Time, like me," Jenny countered. As the Doctor thought about it, he was rather curious what could be revealed to Jenny, the child that time herself created, if she were to look into the Schizm.

"Doctor," Vastra interjected, "Jenny is informing you of our plans as a courtesy. We intend to go to Gallifrey with or without your assistance". Jenny smiled at her wife. The Doctor scoffed with annoyance, but was secretly impressed.

"How do you plan to get there?" River asked, knowing that the stubbornness that also ran in the family could prevent the conversation from moving forward.

"Indeed, the TARDIS will not be taking you," the Doctor declared. River glared at him. He explained, "Not because I'm unwilling, but because she would be".

"I have a Vortex Manipulator," Jenny informed, "But it needs to be repaired." The Doctor stared at her. "What? How did you think I had gotten to Victorian London in the first place?"

"Let me see it." River said.

Jenny looked at her arm. It wasn't there. She looked at Vastra.

"This is a dream, dear, simply imagine that is there," the green woman instructed.

"Ah, right". Jenny looked at her wrist again and it was there. She took it off to show the Professor.

River took a thorough look at the device. "Yes, this is reparable," she said. "To fix it you will need a tool with a potent power source".

"Like a sonic screwdriver?" Jenny asked.

"Yes, like a sonic screwdriver" River confirmed, "I believe, Vastra, that you still own one".

"I do," Vastra confirmed. She had disguised the tool to look like a weapon, much to the chagrin of the doctor, but it was more discrete in the shape of a rifle in Victorian Times.

River told the pair how to fix the Vortex Manipulator using the sonic screwdriver. Jenny expressed her gratitude in a hug. "What are families for?" responded the Professor. Jenny grinned in return. She supposed, in a strange way that River was something of a step mother to her. Weird to think about that. Even more bizarre to consider how she was a step-granddaughter to the Ponds.

"Please let me know if there is anything more that you need from me," the Professor stated.

"We most certainly will," Vastra affirmed.

River winked at the Doctor, "Until next time, sweetie".

The Doctor grumbled as they said their farewells.

Jenny and Vastra awoke at the table, lifting their heads. "Well, that was most enlightening," Vastra stated.

Jenny bowed her head in agreement. "I think, perhaps, that we should have family reunions very rarely," she quipped.

~.~.~.~.~

A/N: Reviews are always appreciated. As they said in the days of Xena fanfic "Feed the Bard!" :)


	6. Return to the Womb

Vastra managed to fix and even upgrade the Vortex Manipulator in accordance to the instructions provided by Professor Song. A package arrived at 13 Paternoster Row which included the appropriate attire: red Gallifreyan style dresses. Vastra's outfit even include scarlet gloves and veil. A note was attached that simple said "Stay safe," signed by the Doctor. Jenny beamed at her father's endeavor, believing it to be a sign that he accepted this was her quest.

Vastra stared at the mirror, uncertain how she felt about the color red against her shimmering green scales. "I like it," Jenny stated, "It is very complimentary. I think red is your color!"

Vastra nose twiched. "It clashes," she protested, as she pulled the veil over her face. She admired the dress on Jenny, "It looks gorgeous on you though!" she exclaimed. The pale skinned woman blushed a color that nearly matched the dress.

Jenny placed the repaired wrist strap on her left arm.

"Are you ready?" the green lady asked.

"As I'll ever be," responded Jenny. She pushed a button on the device and offered Vastra her right hand. Vastra quickly grabbed hold and the pair seemingly disappeared.

It was hard to tell what was happening as they travelled through the Vortex of Time. Moments later they were standing on a grassy hill. It was night time. "Well," Vastra started, "that wasn't entirely unpleasant".

Jenny nodded.

"Are we in the right place?" the lizard woman asked.

Jenny quietly confirmed that they were.

"Where is this Untempered Schizm?" Vastra questioned anxiously

"Shush," Jenny told her softly, desiring peace as she began to climb the hill. The Silurian silently followed, under the impression that is what her young wife wanted.

As they neared the top of the hill they could see an ancient circular structure. Jenny whispered to Vastra, "Don't look directly at it. I believe no non-Gallifreyan has. I don't know what it could do to you." Vastra bowed her head to acknowledge that she understood.

"In fact, stay here," the brown haired woman demanded.

Jenny took a few more steps toward the structure and gazed inside. She saw a void, that somehow appeared to be moving. Blackness that also held some speckles of color and light. She was captivated. She felt as though her body was joined with the flow. She felt small, yet not unimportant. This was the womb of creation. She did not fear it. She wanted to join with it. Return to the womb. A tentacle of blue light reached out from the Untempered Schism. It nearly beckoned for her. So bright it was, that Vastra could not ignore it in her peripheral vision. Vastra thought that must be unusual, and feared that Jenny could be in danger.

Vastra disobeyed Jenny's order to stay and walked to her lovers side, careful to keep her eyes on the woman and avoid looking at the Schizm. "Jenny," she whispered. The woman did not responded. She remained in awe of the blue light. Jenny stretched her arm toward it. "Don't!" the Silurian begged. It was too late Jenny and the strange blue light touched.

Jenny smiled like she was playing. The string of light grew until it surrounded Jenny. It must have been a pleasant sensation. The petite woman laughed, then turned her head to where the Silurian was standing. Vastra could see Jenny's surprised facial expression. Had she forgotten that the other woman was there? Then Jenny's face, shrouded in the blue light became disappointed, sad even.

"Jenny," Vastra addressed her wife with concern, "tell me what is happening".

Jenny shook her head, "Here," she said, taking of the wrist strap, "You'll need this far more than I."

Vastra did not like the way Jenny was looking at her, as though she was on the brink of tears, as though this could be good bye. "What are you doing?" Vastra asked, her voice wavering with dread. She refused to take the device. Jenny took the Silurian's arm somewhat forcefully and put it the device on for her.

Then the smaller woman, glowing in blue light, lifted the red veil and kissed Vastra on each cheek, and then the lips. Telepathically she reached out to Vastra. When their minds met she told her clairvoyantly, "Don't stop me. Don't follow me". She tried to pull back, but Vastra held on to her even more tightly and deepened the kiss. The couple closed their eyes and allowed themselves to really feel each other; to be in this single moment, together.

The lizard woman was scared. The kissed ended. When they parted Jenny peered into Vastra's cerulean eyes, the brows furrowed with worry. "It is not safe for you here." Jenny told her, "Go home, I'll find you there".

Vastra was confused. Were they not going home together? Jenny gave the lizard woman one final peck before completely letting go.

Before Vastra could prevent her, Jenny was running toward the Untempered Schizm. "Jenny!" the lizard woman called out. The small woman didn't turn. Didn't pause. She jumped through the circular structure and into the Untempered Schizm. "No!" screamed Vastra as she watched the body of her wife disappear into the Vortex of Time. "Jenny!" she called out desperately one last time. She could feel her own breathing quicken, her heart pounding rapidly. She didn't bother to try to control it. Soon she was hyperventilating. She gasped in despair as she fell to the ground by the Schizm, determined not to look at it any longer, lest she loose her mind. Perhaps she already had. "Jenny is gone," she mumbled to herself entirely distraught, and uncertain what to do next. She waited, for hours it seemed. Jenny had not returned. At the break of day, the Silurian was still alert yet shell shocked. She had lost Jenny. Again.

~.~.~.~.~

A/N: I almost cried when writing this. Gotta go cuddle with the wife now...

PS. Thanks for the reviews. They do help motivate me. Keep "feeding the bard!" ;)


	7. Darkness Be Over

A blue light erupted from a circular stone structure at the top of a hill. It was startling and obvious against a starless sky. Jenny had been ejected from within and landed poorly on her back. She felt as though she had been torn apart and put back together. She acknowledged that her unsheltered trip through the Vortex was a one way trip. Where ever she was now, she would stay, until there was another way to leave. Her entire body ached. She was completely exhausted. She tried to move but her limbs resisted. She rested her head on the ground, too weary to care about comfort. Within seconds she was asleep.

Moments later she was being prodded by a man holding a torch, "Wake up," he demanded, "We haven't much time". Jenny moaned, still tired and sore. "Please, you are in danger here," the man insisted.

Jenny was confused. She was in a peculiar setting, with a stranger prodding and warning her. She heard his urgency. Her adrenalin ignited, her hearts raced, but her head was still heavy. She accepted his assistance to stand. In the light of his torch she could see the edge of the stone structure she had passed through. She also saw his red outfit. She suspected she had managed to return to Gallifrey. She noticed the rest of the world was dark. Completely dark. There were no stars. The air was frigid. She normally wasn't very sensitive to the cold, so either it was particularly cold or her sensitivity had changed. The Gallifreyan man with the torch wore a thick cloak. Perhaps it really was that cold. How unusual for the red planet that orbited binary stars.

"Who are you?" she asked. Normally she would introduce herself first, manners and all. Her mind was foggy. She felt rather nervous, and her curiosity was getting the better of her.

"My name is Benjamin," his tone remained insipid, "I'm a watchman at this location, and now your guard".

"My guard? I wasn't aware I needed one," she protested.

"We have no time to argue about it, The Avatar needs protection." The man said sternly. "We must travel to the Hidden Temple in New Arcadia."

Certainly the man was confused. She was no Avatar. She shivered, remembering the current climate. Where was Vastra, hadn't she just been here?

"You are not dressed for the weather," Benjamin observed, "come".

He walked only a few steps away where a body was lying on the ground. It was another man, wearing the same outfit as Benjamin. It must be a uniform. At first Jenny believe he was sleeping. Upon a closer look though, she saw that he was not breathing. "Is he… dead?" she asked.

He nodded to confirm, "He was a traitor."

Jenny began to get a picture in her head of what was going on. Benjamin and this other man must have been on duty together, until they fought. "You killed him?"

"It was his life or yours," the man responded gravely.

Jenny recoiled, her anxiety building. Benjamin said the other man was a traitor, and indicated he had tried to murder her. Yet, how could she take this mysterious stranger at his word. Benjamin could have murdered the other man in cold blood. In either scenario it appeared she was in a lot of danger. She wished that Vastra was here. She always felt safe and protected with the Silurian warrior at her side. She allowed grief to fill her for just a moment, realizing how worried her lover must have been. Not sure how long she'd slept after going through the Vortex, Jenny reminded herself that Vastra was probably back home by now. If all went well, her wife was safe on Paternoster Row, rather than freezing on Gallifrey. That is as it should be.

Benjamin removed the dead man's cloak, hat, gloves, and boots. "Here, you can wear these for warmth," he told Jenny as she handed the items to her.

Jenny hesitated. It seemed wrong to take the dead man's clothes.

"He no longer needs them," he stated. "It is a long walk to New Arcadia" the man cautioned.

Jenny hesitantly took the clothes. She placed the hat on her head, and was immediately grateful for something to cover her ears. She wrapped the long cloak around herself. It was clearly meant for someone larger, it dragged on the ground behind her. The gloves too were big on her, but provided her hands with some protection from the cold. She tried on the boots as well. They were huge on her small feet. She wanted to take them off, but Benjamin halted her.

"We need to keep your arrival a secret. It must appear that he and I walked away from this place." He informed her. "Keep the shoes on, and help me with the body."

These were odd instructions which did not encourage the woman to feel any safer. "What are we doing with it, I mean him". She refused to reduce the man to a thing, even if Benjamin was telling the truth and he was a traitor.

Benjamin glanced at the Schism, leading Jenny to look there as well. "No!" she protested, "We can' just throw 'im into the Vortex, it ain' right!"

"What would you suggest?" he countered, "the ground is too cold, too solid to dig. We have no shovel anyway."

Jenny sighed. "Alrigh', let's just say some words or somethin' first." She still didn't like the idea, but would feel better if they did something to honor the man's life.

"You would give a traitor a memorial?" he asked skeptically, bitterness in his voice.

She looked him directly in the eyes, to show her insistence, "A life is a life," she stated.

"As you wish then, Avatar," he responded unenthusiastically. "What would you have us do?" he asked.

Jenny was still uncomfortable with him calling her that, but decided now was not the best time to argue. Her fuzzy mind tried to recall what was done to honor the dead on earth. She realized she didn't even know what the man was called. "What was his name?" she asked.

"Henry," he said softly before clearing his voice, "Henry Erwata".

"Do you have any fond memories with him you can share?" she requested.

Benjamin was surprised at the question, but answered honestly. "Yes, we trained together at the academy. He was a great friend. We would play chess together." He laughed just a little, "He was the better player. I was so excited when I finally beat him. We both celebrated."

To Jenny this made the dead man's story even sadder. This man's life ended either betraying a long-time friend or being betrayed by a long-time friend. "Thank you for sharing," Jenny said. The watchman looked for a moment as though he may cry, but then his face turned stoic once more. He briefly bowed his head. Even with this man's earnestness the current situation still did not sit well with Jenny. She wanted to stall, thinking things would fall into place in her mind more if she did.

"I think we should sing a hymn, maybe?"

"I don't know any," the man said solemnly.

"Alrigh', I'll sing one," Jenny declared softly. She had to think. She didn't know many hymns, not being much of a church goer. She had even fewer that she liked and knew the words to. Then one came to mind that seemed somehow appropriate. She hummed the slow tune to begin, then started chanting the lyrics:

"Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!  
E'en though it be a cross that raiseth me;  
Still all my song shall be nearer, my God, to Thee,  
Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!"

"Though like the wanderer, the sun gone down,  
Darkness be over me, my rest a stone;  
Yet in my dreams I'd be nearer, my God, to Thee,  
Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!"

The words stuck out to her. She didn't sing the song for Henry. She did so for herself. She was like a wanderer on the strange and desolate planet. There was no sun. Darkness was over the entire world. She had seen this before in her dreams. She knew there were more lyrics, yet she not could remember them all at that time. There was something about angels. She hoped she wouldn't be meeting any angels here. She stopped singing. Benjamin had, after all, indicated they were in a hurry and she could tell that he was growing impatient.

Benjamin stood in silence for a few moments before he began lifting the body. Jenny went to help. The task was difficult for her since she had not yet recovered her full strength. The weight of the dead man was almost too much for Jenny's aching muscles. The pair carried Henry to the stone structure. As gently as possible, yet still with stiffness they pushed him through to the Untempered Schism. Jenny allowed herself to watch the body as it disappeared into the Vortex of Time. Benjamin intentionally avoided looking. When he was gone, Jenny turned from the Schism to face the man who claimed he was her guard. His eyes were watering. Jenny pretended not to notice, as a courtesy to the man who appeared to value his fortitude.

"Thank you," he told her.

In his tone Jenny could sense that he missed his former friend. There was regret and longing. She nodded her welcome. Honoring the man, even though it was brief, had been the right thing to do. Jenny patiently waited for Benjamin to do or say something, to indicate readiness.

"We must move on," Benjamin stated as he took steps forward. Perhaps he meant both to move on from this place. Perhaps he meant to move on from the emotional rawness of the situation. Jenny followed the man. She was still uncertain if this was in fact the best idea, yet she had no other plan. There was nowhere else to go on this gloomy and frozen planet. She found herself wondering when the darkness would be over.

~.~.~.~.~

A/N: Credit to Sarah Flower Adams for the lyrics to Nearer My God to Thee.


	8. Angels to Beckon

The high council of the Time-Lords sat around an oval table in a chamber high in a tower in New Arcadia. There was a knock on the door. An irritated man at the head of the table looked at a guard by the door indicating to open it. A very scared looking young man entered the room and bowed to the council. "Lord President!" he greeted.

"Lord Sivnea" the Lord President Rassilon stated haughtily as he faced the man, "I thought I said no interruptions unless it was extremely urgent".

Even though the messenger had seen the features of the infamous ruler of the Time Lords before, he always struggled to not react to the scar. A red hand print still covered over half of the man's visage. It remained from the Master's attack on the man. Rumor had it that it still caused the Lord President pain, even 200 years after the fight and the fall of Gallifrey.

"It is sir!" Sivnea said anxiously in return. "There has been activity at the Untempered Schism"

The President responded with bitterness, "What kind of 'activity'?"

"A blue light burst forth," explained the runner, "that is all we could see from the watchtower".

The President turned toward the council, all who gave him blank looks.

"What does it mean, Lord President?" the young man asked.

"We shall send an investigation" the President said impatiently. He looked again toward the runner who remained in the room standing nervously, "Is there anything else?"

"Yes sir," Sivnea told him, growing more nervous.

"Well lad, tell me" the President demanded.

The runner hesitated, "The guards of the prison have disappeared and the prisoners are gone".

"What!" The president stood angrily and glared at the man.

Sivnea feared the Lord President knowing he could easily kill a man with a wave of his gauntlet. His eyes widened. "Please sir, I'm just a messenger".

"Leave," the President seethed, "now".

Sivnea obeyed the order, giving a brief bow before exiting the room.

Silence fell upon the room, the members of the council fearful to trigger their President. Rassilon looked toward them. "General," he addressed one of them, "send an investigation team to the Untempered Schism immediately". The General pushed a button on the table and Gallifreyan writing appeared as holograms above the table. The General prodded at them until the order was sent.

"Done, sir," he confirmed.

"Administrator," Rassilon addressed, this was a title given to a Time Lady who was in charge of operations within the city of New Arcadia. All of the Time Lords now lived in this city as it was the only one built to withstand the current climate. Many of the people of Gallifrey had been frozen in time, as the Doctor intended, with no awareness of the happenings around them. The Time Lords, however, the nobility and rulers of the planet remained alive and alert. Time could not stop for them. They all migrated to a single citadel, New Arcadia. They harvested geo-thermal energy for light and warmth, but even that was becoming more of a challenge. The core of the planet itself was cooling rapidly. A fact that the high council was not keen on letting the other Time Lords know for fear of rebellion and chaos. A limited amount of food grows in the hydroponic farms, though rations were severe. The Secretary of the Interior was responsible for overseeing all of this.

"Yes sir," the Time Lady answered obediently.

"Administrator, remind me of the hearsays."

The Visionary had left the council after Gallifrey fell. She was no longer useful to the Lord President as she either would not or could not communicate with him. Word had passed that she was now dead anyway. While Rassilon was suspicious of any anecdote or prophesy, he had discovered during the Time War that sometimes there was a place for them. But now he depended upon the ears of the Administrator and her spies to know the tales in the city.

"Rumors tell of a Hidden Temple beneath the city which awaits an Avatar of Time. It is told that The Avatar has the ability to communicate with our original dimension and bring about the return of Gallifrey. Some say it is a prophecy. Some say it is a story meant to give hope. Some conspirators even believe the Council created the story in order to raise moral within the citadel," informed the Administrator.

To some extent Rassilon wished the last statement was true. A Hidden Temple right beneath their noses was an unsettling thought, though he would not let that show. He had been so involved in the planning of the city that he knew the architectural details of each building. Rassilon had used his skill with engineering and invention to design much of the high tech city. He even built a powerful projection for the bubble surrounding citadel which imitated the light of the suns. "This Hidden Temple must be secured or destroyed," he ordered. Rassilon also knew that sometimes prophesies were true. He wanted to control them though. "If there is indeed an Avatar," Rassilon spoke, "he is to be brought to me immediately." He paused as he directed his gaze at the General. "Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir," he nodded, as he once again engaged with the hologram mechanism in front of him to delegate commands.

"As for the prisoners, they couldn't have gone far," he pondered. He thought he had those two disruptive women under control when he had started to petrify them. Since Time Lords could not be so easily frozen in time, Rassilon had had to get creative in imprisoning them. The time-locked facilities in New Arcadia were not enough. How fitting to slowly turn these 'traitors' into stone. Yet they has somehow resisted. Apparently, they discovered how to move about and feed, taking on more of the properties of the nightmarish Weeping Angels of old. The metaphor that the women would "stand as monuments to their shame" was meant to be symbolic. These consequences were beyond Rassilon's plans. They must never have the opportunity to feed on time energy again. "They are limited to just this planet. They must be re-captured" he said out loud. When he had them again, he would need to invent further precautions to ensure they would not be able to escape. He would have to successfully lock them in time or starve them so they were too weak to move.

The General spoke up, "Perhaps, Lord-President sir, the risk of their existence is too high," he hoped Rassilon didn't see this as him being disagreeable, "Perhaps, sir, they need to be destroyed". He kept his head up, trying to avoid showing his fear of the man.

Rassilon stared at the man, as though trying to assess whether or not he was being too uppity. "If necessary," he eventually agreed. They could leave it at that for the moment.

~.~.~.~.~

Upon the frozen fields of Gallifrey, Jenny and Benjamin trekked together in the light of his torch. It had been several hours, and the man would not let them rest. Jenny felt she was near collapse, but somehow managed to keep placing one foot in front of the other without complaint. Benjamin halted in front of her. She nearly bumped into him. It looked as though he was listening for something. "There are others coming" he said. He snuffed out his torch and took Jenny's hand. "They are searching for you," he told her "They must have seen the abnormal light from the Untempered Schism".

He led her in the darkness off of the path they were following toward New Arcadia. It was pitch black, so neither could see very well. They walked slowly holding their free hand in front of them so as to avoid hitting any potential obstruction face first. Their hands then hit something like a large rock. They tried to feel their way around it. It was huge, and cold. Jenny was grateful for the gloves. Eventually they believed they were on the other side of the giant rock on the opposite side of the road. They knew to avoid lighting the torch though, as any light on such a dark planet would easily give away their position. Jenny, exhausted, propped herself against the stone. "You can rest here," Benjamin whispered, "I'll keep watch". Appreciative for the opportunity Jenny sat on the ground, raised her hood, wrapped her cloak around herself, and leaned her back onto an incline. She closed her eyes.

When she awoke, she finally felt restored. She stood and called out quietly for the watchman, "Benjamin?"

"Yes?"

"Are they gone now,"

"I believe so, he answered, it has been nearly a day,"

Jenny a little unnerved by her long 'nap' was uncertain how he could tell, as there was never a sunrise, or a sunset for that matter. She inched towards his voice.

"Do you need to rest?" she asked, "I could keep watch," she offered.

"I'm alright," he state, "I think I drifted off for a few moments," he admitted.

Jenny would normally be tempted to tease a watchman who slept during his shift. Under these more serious circumstances though, and with Benjamin still being a near stranger, she decided against it. She nodded with understanding, not that he would be able to see the gesture in the pitch black.

"Are you ready to go?" the man asked.

"Yes," she confirmed, "Do you think it is safe to light the torch again?"

"Should be," he said. Within a few seconds there was light again, yet immediately Jenny let out a gasp as she saw a couple of figures standing only a couple of meters away from them. At first it looked like the women were made of stone, but upon second glance it was flesh. Their skin was greying. Even the hair and eyes were a duller shade than normal. The figures were still. They were women, whose hands were kept over their faces. The pose reminded Jenny of the Weeping Angels. "Don't blink!" Jenny exclaimed to Benjamin. The man stepped in front of her, standing in a defensive pose.

"I know," he said. "I use to be their prison guard". The pair stared at the women. "I knew you would be pursued by the High Council, but I didn't expect the Lord-President to send _them_."

One of the women gradually removed her hands from her face.

"I'm lookin' righ' at her!" Jenny stated, "How is she movin'?"

"They are not quite real Angels. They are not quantum-locked," Benjamin told her, "They were supposed to be petrified, but the transformation is not complete".

The woman, the shorter and stouter of the two, had opened her eyes and looked at Jenny.

"Don't look into her eyes," the guard voiced to Jenny.

It was too late. Jenny had made contact with the almost Angel. Her mind felt funny, like someone was trying to reach into it. She winced. "Jenny?" Benjamin addressed her with growing concern as he continued to look at the women, uncertain if it was helping.

"I think she is trying to communicate, telepathically," Jenny stated.

"Block her!" Benjamin urged excitedly.

The woman who had shown her face had a tear strolling down her cheek. Could it be that she was really weeping?

"No," Jenny responded gently, "I think… I have to help her".

Jenny heard a voice within and closed her eyes. "Do not fear me, grandchild," a woman's voice uttered in Jenny's head. Words from the hymn Jenny had been singing earlier filled her mind,

"There let the way appear steps unto heav'n;

All that Thou sendest me in mercy giv'n;

Angels to beckon me nearer, my God, to Thee,

Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!"

"Let me show you the way," the woman emitted to Jenny. She shared images of the fallen Gallifrey, and also of the Gallifrey to come. A Gallifrey rebuilt, as the red planet circling two suns. A Gallifrey that the Doctor could return to and once again call home. She also gave Jenny pictures that indicated how much danger she was in. A furious Rassilon calling upon all forces to bring the Avatar to him. His desire to either control or destroy her. He was a powerful and intelligent man, used to getting his way.

"What must I do?" Jenny asked the woman through their link.

The greying woman responded psychically, "Learn, train," she showed Jenny the Hidden Temple, a library filled floor to ceiling with books, and the Visionary.

"The Visionary!" Jenny said out loud.

"What is she telling you?" Benjamin asked her. He was unclear whether Jenny could hear him, "The Visionary is dead!"

Jenny started humming the hymn as the words continued in her head.

"Then with my waking thoughts bright with Thy praise,

Out of my stony griefs Bethel I'll raise;

So by my woes to be nearer, my God, to Thee,

Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!"

"Or if on joyful wing, cleaving the sky,

Sun, moon, and stars forgot, upwards I fly,

Still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to Thee,

Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!"

"The Visionary will teach me," Jenny told Benjamin. "The Angels will give me the time!"

Benjamin's hearts skipped a beat as Jenny stepped toward the women, "No!" he yelled. Jenny embraced the greying woman with whom she had been telepathically connected. The woman wrapped her arms around Jenny, and held the younger woman for a moment, as though she was hugging someone dear to her. Benjamin watched the scene unfold, and then saw as Jenny disappeared. "No!" He repeated. "Bring her back!" he demanded. The greying woman shook her head silently and solemnly. "Fine!" he exclaimed, "Then bring me to her." He continued to stare at the women to show his insistence.

The man then heard the woman's voice in his head, "look away".

He did so. The woman touched her companion's shoulder without looking directly at her. The other woman lowered her arms and grasped at the man in front of her. He too disappeared.

"Benjamin!" Jenny exclaimed upon seeing the watchman, "You didn't need to follow me". Her tone was pleased though. She was glad for his company.

"I am your guard," he said simply.

The fact that the man was willing to leap through time with her demonstrated to Jenny that he really was loyal to her. "Thank you," she said, and smiled at him.

"Do you know where we are?"

It was warmer and brighter. They no longer required the torch. He snuffed it. They were indoors. He recognized the tall walls draped with red tapestries adorned with blue Gallifreyan embroidery. "We are in the Hidden Temple," he informed her. He was pleased to be at the location they were heading toward. "Do you know when we are?" he asked.

"We are seventy years in the past from when we were," she stated.

"I didn't know you arrived here so early," he said, "You do a good job of keeping your secrets!"

"Oi! Shush you," Jenny said jokingly, "spoilers!"

~.~.~.~.~

A/N: Again credit to Sarah Flower Adams for the lyrics to Nearer My God to Thee.


	9. The Oracle

At the break of day, Vastra remained by the structure on the top of the hill. She saw people coming from the distance. Time Lords, approaching the Schism. There was no place to hide. Soon three men dressed in red approached her. She stood. "What are you doing here?" asked one of them rudely.

"I am waiting for a friend." She responded.

"No one nears the Schism except during the rite," another of the men stated sternly. "Who are you?"

"No one of consequence," the Silurian responded blandly.

The first man peered closer, and noticed the green scales behind the veil. "She is not one of us!" he declared, "You are an outsider!"

Instantly there were three impulse lasers pointed toward Vastra's head.

"You are coming with us!" demanded the last of the three men.

"My apologies", said Vastra as she swiftly opened the flap of the wrist strap and quickly worked the device to return to Victorian London. "I'm afraid I have a previous engagement," she told them as she pushed the final button, "Perhaps another time," Within seconds she was in the conservatory at 13 Paternoster Row. She sat in her wooden chair, removed the red veil and gloves, and covered her face instead with her own green claws. If she had tear ducts of an ape, she would cry. Jenny wasn't home. She could tell. If her wife weren't in smelling distance, she could usually sense the woman clairvoyantly. That connection was broken.

Vastra's dismal thoughts were interrupted by the probes of a clueless Sontaran nurse. "Ma'am, you have returned," I must take your vitals," he said. "Your behavior has changed significantly." He took out a gadget and held it near Vastra eyes.

The lizard woman swiped it away. It landed on the floor. "I haven't the time for this!" she said angrily as she stood from the chair. "Strax, fetch the candles!"

"Ugh", the Sontaran muttered under his breath. "Not another bloody conference call," he complained as he rolled his eyes.

Vastra normally would have scolded his language, but she wasn't up for it at this time.

Vastra went to the other room and sat at the round table, waiting for Strax to return with the candles. She told him to be seated as well. He sat in the chair to her right where normally Jenny sat during such events. This made the Silurian wince, but she did not bother to correct him. She completed the ritual and lit the soporific candles. Within moments they were both dreaming.

Besides the lizard woman and the alien nurse, the Doctor and Clara were the first to respond to the conference call. A few seconds later Professor Song arrived as well. "No tea this time?" she noted.

"Pardon my rush," the Silurian stated politely yet firmly, standing from her seat at the table. She was finding it difficult to sit still.

"You invited Clara this time. How kind of you." The Doctor said before noticing his daughter's absence. "And where is Jenny."

"Lost, I'm afraid," Vastra informed them sullenly.

"You've lost my daughter?" the Doctor asked.

"Wait, what?" Clara interrupted. She recalled seeing the anomalous daughter in the Doctor's time stream, the soldier created on Messaline. It seemed like she had died. She pointed at Vastra "Your Jenny" then pointed to the Doctor, "is your Jenny?" she asked, shocked at the revelation. Such a private person the Doctor was.

The Doctor sighed.

"Yes," the Silurian stated, "My Jenny is the daughter of the Doctor".

"She's alive?" Clara continued, trying to catch up, "In the Time Stream it appeared she died taking a bullet for the Doctor".

"Takes more than a bullet to kill a Time Lord" River stated, "Then again, I don't suppose he knew how much of a Time Lord she really is, so young he was then," she teased.

"Oi!" the Doctor interrupted, "I'm right here, you know. Stop talking about me like I'm not".

"So…" Clare looked at the three of them, "you all are like… in-laws? One big happy family, eh?" she said. She gave a little smile and crossed her arms, loving this new revelation.

The Doctor grumbled. Vastra crossed her arms as well, growing impatient.

"A Time Lord's family can be a complicated concept," River started, "Some relationships last through various incarnations, some do not," Clara gave the frizzle haired woman a blank stare. "The body dies and is created anew, the new person may have the memories, but the personality and tastes have changed. Emotions too. So does the twelfth feel toward Jenny the same as the tenth? Does the twelfth hold the same promises as the eleventh?" River asked.

Clara's facial expression changed to perplexed, "I'm just going to pretend that some of that actually made sense," she stated.

"Me too," said the Sontaran nurse.

"Let's go back to the part where Madame Vastra said Jenny was lost," the Doctor said, becoming uncomfortable with the conversation.

River nodded, "Yes, lost where?"

Vastra took a step to the side and began pacing around the table. "That's just it though, lost nowhere, lost anywhere, lost everywhere, perhaps?" Vastra wanted to explain, yet she could feel herself becoming frantic again, her pacing becoming faster.

"Stay calm, ridiculous reptile!" Strax demanded.

Vastra huffed, yet halted her pacing, ""I believe she is lost in time and space."

"Well that narrows it down," the Doctor quipped unamused.

"Tell us what happened, when you went to Gallifrey," River gently requested, giving her very 'Scottish' husband a sideways glance.

The lizard woman breathed heavily, "She jumped into the Untempered Schism".

"What!" the Doctor and Professor yelled simultaneously.

Clara recalled her experience jumping into the Doctor's time stream. "Sorry," she held out a finger to get the attention of the group, "Wouldn't that just tear her into tiny pieces of herself?" Clara asked.

The lizard woman felt a new sensation at the sound of those words. She believed it was what the apes referred to as "faint".

Clara, not sure she liked the look on Vastra's face, quickly completed her thought. "I mean, that's what jumping into the Doctor's time stream did to me, remember? Made a whole bunch of me it did, then spit me back out wherever it wanted to in all of time and space." She really was trying to be helpful.

River responded, "Yes dear, but that was the Doctor's personal timeline, though it spread throughout all of time and space it was fixed enough for you to only be placed where you were needed in the Doctor's life."

"Yes, and I still had to go in and rescue the _real_ you," the Doctor spoke. "The real you that should have died and not the echoes of you," He paused to consider what he was saying. 'Echo' is exactly what he called his daughter on Messaline. Didn't he used to have more tact? No, apparently not.

All Vastra could think is if she cut off all their heads they would stop talking. "Oh Goddess," she sighed. She calmed her frustration, knowing these were her friends and Jenny's friends and family. They were trying to help and she must bear with it and listen because she knew there must be a way to save Jenny. That is why she called them here.

"The Untempered Schism isn't fixed. It is more than one person's timeline, more than one galaxy's timeline," River stated. "The Doctor may have been right to have called Jenny an 'echo' for an echo is the only thing that can survive such an ordeal," she affirmed where her husband's mind had wondered, "Jenny's very existence is a paradox. The TARDIS was drawn to Messaline because of her and she exists because the TARDIS was drawn to Messaline in the first place. A paradox like that usually garners some attention, yet aside from the Master she went relatively unknown for several years on Earth. Time seems to favor her for some reason. Vastra is right that Jenny could be anywhere at any point in time, but I think it is likely that she ended up right where she was needed most," River offered.

The Sontaran looked puzzled. Clara appeared equally perplexed. She peered at the frizzle haired woman quizzically, "Professor, I really must ask, does anything you say ever make sense?"

"Generally, no," the Doctor responded for his wife.

"Oh, look at that!" River said excitedly, "He's joking again! I knew you had it in you!"

The Doctor briefly looked pleased with himself, before his "attack eyebrows" once again assumed their natural position.

"How do we get Jenny back?" asked Vastra desperately.

"We don't." the Doctor said, agitated, "Where she is needed the most could be anywhere".

"Where she is needed the most is by my side!" Vastra exclaimed, knowing the comment was selfish.

The Doctor grunted, "She has to find her own way back, if she can. It is impossible to find her".

"You got me back," Clare declared, speaking quickly, "Remember you just said you jumped into your own time stream to do so. That should have been impossible".

"That was different," the Doctor countered, "you are my impossible girl".

"She is your daughter!" Clara nearly shouted at him, "no matter how she came into being!"

Vastra bowed her head in agreement.

The man stared at the table as he let that absorb. Yes, the girl was his kin. His only remaining kin. He had done very little for Jenny in the past, allowing Madame Vastra to do the hard work of teaching and training her. Now he was being asked for help, as he always was, in an impossible situation. He felt some obligation to at least try.

Another person abruptly appeared in a dark corner of the room.

"Who's there!" asked Vastra, taking a defensive pose.

A petite figure, dressed in a chambermaid's uniform stepped out of the shadow. "Ah, my apologies," Jenny said, "It appears I'm late to my own party."

Not caring that this was only a dream, not caring that there was an audience, Vastra swiftly ran to her wife embraced her tightly, and planted kisses all over her face. Jenny beamed at her, and leaned in for a deeper kiss on the lips.

The Doctor intentionally looked away from the scene. River watched in admiration and patted the grey haired man's hand under the table, "Awe, remember when we used to kiss like that?" she whispered seductively to the Doctor. She appreciated the red glow that developed on his cheeks.

Clara was seriously considering twiddling her thumbs, and the Sontaran appeared as perplexed as ever at the behavior of humanoids.

"I was afraid I had lost you," Vastra told Jenny softly.

"I know," Jenny affirmed, "I'm sorry, that I left you like that". They savored their embrace. "You are my anchor," the smaller woman said fondly as she pecked a green scaled cheek.

The lizard woman wasn't sure what this meant, but was happy to have Jenny back for now, if only in a dream, "Where were you?" Vastra asked, "Where are you?"

"Gallifrey," Jenny responded loud enough for the entire room to hear as the two lovers joined the rest of group gathered at the table. A seat materialized out of thin air for Jenny.

"I'm on Gallifrey, in the pocket universe that the Doctor sent us to at the end of the Time War." She informed as she sat. Vastra, more comfortable now that she knew her wife still existed, was able to sit as well.

It was subtle, but the Doctor picked up on the word "us", and shifted uncomfortably. "What do you mean "us"? You weren't there during the Time War".

"I have been here a while. I have been acclimated. The story of Gallifrey is my story too," she explained.

The Doctor looked skeptical. It was all too easy. They were just talking about Jenny and now she suddenly appears? "I think we may need to accept that this being, whatever she is, may not be Jenny" he declared.

"Of course she is Jenny!" Vastra declared defensively.

"Don't let your hope blind you!" The Doctor spat. "She is a Dream Lord, influencing what we see and experience here," he accused. The women all looked at Jenny suspiciously.

The Sontaran stood, ready for action, "I recommend…" he started loudly.

"Not now, Strax," Vastra interrupted.

Jenny calmly took this all in. "Well, of course I'm a Dream Lord," the woman admitted, "But that doesn't mean that I'm not Jenny."

The Doctor explained, "Very few Dream Lords have the skill to override the ritual that this conference call requires so that only those who are invited are here. Even more rare is the aptitude to travel between different universes, even in dreams."

"You doubt your daughter's abilities?" the maid asked.

"That does seem like a daft thing to do," Clara said softly to the Doctor, as the other two ladies nodded in agreement, "she is, after all, your daughter". The Time Lord remained unconvinced.

"I will show you then," Jenny said. Her demeanor changed, becoming darker. Instantly the ordinary chair beneath her became a gaudy thrown. Her dress changed from the simple maid's outfit to an elaborate cobalt gown with fancy Gallifreyan embroidery in a stunning scarlet. Her entire body glowed with an alien blue light. The eyes blazed even more intensely. Her voice changed too, it was deeper and echoed ethereally. Even the Cockney accent was gone. "I am the Generated Anomaly, the Oracle of Gallifrey, and the Avatar of Time!" the woman strongly declared. When she said it there was a chill, like there had been a cool wind. Within a moment everything returned to how it had been. A simply dressed maid sat in an ordinary chair in front of them. She winked at Vastra who appeared flabbergasted, "But friends call me Jenny," she said, her accent returning. Her voice sounded meek compared to the voice that had just reverberated throughout the room. A stunned silence followed.

Clara applauded enthusiastically, "Good show!" she commended. The Sontaran gaped. Even the Doctor and Professor seemed astonished.

"Do you trust I am who I say am?" asked Jenny. The Doctor, the Professor, and the nurse all nodded in agreement. The Silurian nodded too, though she had never doubted her.

Jenny had grown, Vastra could tell. Her mind was stronger, and she had already been brilliant in Vastra's opinion. She was wielding powers that the lizard wasn't aware the woman had. She must have been trained to control these abilities too. She referred to herself as the Oracle and the Avatar. It had been less than a day since Vastra believed she had lost Jenny, but for the younger woman it must have been significantly longer. The green lady was afraid to ask, but did so anyway, "how long has it been, since we parted on Gallifrey".

"Well, that is a difficult question to answer. The time lines have gotten switched around and stuff, gotten all 'timey wimey.'"

"How long has it been for you," Vastra specified.

Jenny hesitated, knowing the answer would pain the lizard woman. "Seventy years," Jenny answered neutrally.

The green face contorted. "Seventy years?" asked Vastra overwhelmed and disappointed, in herself mostly. "Seventy years!" she repeated "and I… I never rescued you?"

"You mustn't think like that, my darling," Jenny said, reaching for Vastra's hand. "I'm no damsel in distress."

"I failed you," the green lady stated, her voice wavering. "I broke my promise, 'where you go, I go'".

"No," Jenny refuted, "No, you did as I asked. You didn't stop me, you didn't follow. That was good. You may well have died here a long time ago, ev'n if you survived the trip through the Schism."

"How will you return?"

"The voyage through the Vortex was one way. 'Cept through dreams and apparitions, I can only come back to our universe when Gallifrey does."

"We must get Gallifrey back!" Vastra turned to the Doctor and declared.

"Gallifrey is safe," the Doctor retorted, determined to keep it that way. He wanted to avoid the resurgence of the Time War, even if it meant his daughter was stranded.

"Gallifrey is dying!" Jenny informed them. She had their attention now, they all had their eyes on her. "No one, nothing in the universe is meant to be alone. The order of the cosmos is interdependent. Yet Gallifrey was exiled, separated from its suns and solar system." She projected an image of the planet in its current state. The image was dark, a black sphere with a single speck of light where the citadel of New Arcadia stood. "The entire planet is frozen. There are no suns to provide light and warmth. But if there were," she manipulated the projection to show how Gallifrey would appear in the light. The entire planet was an ice covered tundra, with old citadels and war ruins pushing out of the ice. Gone was the red grass and silver trees that the Doctor remembered from his youth.

"Time was supposed to freeze, not the planet," said the Doctor mournfully.

"Yes, well, Time nev'r stops for the Time Lords, does it?" Jenny challenged him. He glared in return. She addressed the group again. "Gallifrey is in twilight. It will either see the dawn of a new day, or will it parish in exile. Either way, Doctor," she faced him, "Gallifrey falls no more," she asserted pointedly. These words struck the Doctor, as Jenny had intended them too. His mouth gaped as though he was about to say something, but the dispute never came.

She glanced behind her as though she heard something. Nothing was there, in the dream, yet she detected something beyond.

"What is it Jenny?" Vastra asked, knowing to pay attention to Jenny's senses.

"I've been found," Jenny voiced with alarm. She looked at her wife, her brown eyes open with fear. Vastra brow furrowed with worry for Jenny. "I must awaken!" Jenny stood from her seat and turned behind her.

Vastra stood as well, "What is happening, my dear?" Vastra stepped forward to grasp the arm of her lover. "Show me!" she insisted urgently. Jenny's eyes met the lizard woman's blue ones. She found Vastra's hand with hers and squeezed. To those remaining it appeared that both women disappeared.


	10. Stasers

Jenny awoke in a small simple bedroom on a cot. She felt the coolness of metal against her throat and saw three red staser pistols pointed toward her. "The Lord President would like to meet you, Avatar," a gruff man's voice stated, "you are coming with us."

"Like Hell she is!" voiced an angry Vastra. Forgetting she was only an apparition, she attempted to attack the men. Her arm went right through one as her tongue failed to make contact with another. She looked at her hands as her eyes widened with understanding. She could witness, she could not assist. The men could not see or hear her. Only Jenny. She looked at her wife who briefly gave her eye contact.

A man positioned behind Jenny placed his staser in his belt and pushed the woman into a sitting position as his blade remained at her throat.

"Raise your hands," the gruff commander demanded.

She did as she was told, "I am weaponless," she stated.

The man smacked her face violently with his staser. "You will speak only when requested to speak, or when asked a direct question." He told her viciously.

His unprovoked attack upset Vastra even further.

Jenny's head was still turned to the side it had been pushed to. She could feel blood in her mouth and the left side of her face bruising. She glared up at the man who appeared to be the leader of this group. The man nodded to the one behind her. He sheathed blade and pulled Jenny's arms, still above her head, behind her back and placed them into cuffs.

"Stand," the man commanded her.

As soon as she did so, the two other men grabbed her arms at the elbows. The group marched her out of the room. Vastra followed. When outside of the room Jenny saw a man lying on the floor just outside. "Benjamin!" Jenny called out in concern for the man. This earned her a punch to her gut from the leader. The hit was so hard that it would have knocked her to the ground had the other men not been holding her up. She winced in pain.

He pulled on the top of her head until she was looking directly at him, "What did I tell you about speaking?"

She attempted to regain her composure, "Not to do so unless requested," she said.

"That is right, 'Avatar'," He mocked, he put his face within three centimeters of hers. Jenny could smell his stale breath. "And no fancy escape plans," he added before letting go of her hair and backing away.

Vastra watched the exchange and felt sick. How can she see her wife taken captive and do nothing? She walked behind Jenny. She saw Jenny turn her head and wink directly at her. Did Jenny already have a plan? The brown haired woman smirked. Vastra watched, surprised as a bolt of blue lightning zapped out of Jenny's index finger effectively opening the cuffs that bound her hands behind her back. Jenny caught the cuffs before they dropped to the floor. Then it appeared to Vastra as though Jenny was the only one moving in the room. The others were completely still as Jenny freed herself from the men's grip.

Jenny immediately ran back where Benjamin was. She knelt by his side as she studied the body, especially his eyes.

"He's dead," Jenny spoke. Vastra could tell her wife was devastated.

"Who was he?" Vastra asked gently.

"My guard, and my friend," Jenny responded. "He gave his life for mine. He shouldn' have had to".

Vastra remained silent as she attempted to place her hand on Jenny's shoulder, uncertain if either of them would be able to feel the touch. She could not, which saddened her. Yet Jenny's hand briefly overlapped hers in acknowledgement. The younger woman leaned toward the man on the floor. She closed his eyes and kissed his forehead before standing again.

She looked toward the men who had attempted to capture her. Vastra turned her head toward them as well. "How are they frozen?"

"They aren't frozen. I sped up my own time," Jenny explained. "I'm moving at a much faster pace than the rest of the world."

"You can do that?" asked the Silurian, impressed.

"I am the Avatar of Time," Jenny declared, "Time works the way I need it to." She still held on to the cuffs. She walked over to the two men who were once escorting her. She cuffed their hands together. Vastra chuckled, amused at her wife's clever antics. Jenny then grabbed all the staser pistols. She changed the settings and set one in her belt. She decided to hold on to the other two. Finally she stood at an equal distance from the cuffed men and their commander in a place where she could see both. She posed herself, one foot in front of the other and knees slightly bent. She raised her hands, each holding one of the guns, aiming one at the commander's head and the other at the closer of the other men. She winked at Vastra, then made her time flow resume to normal.

"How's this for a fancy escape plan?" she asked the commander. The man looked at her dumbfounded. "Don't move, either of you," she warned, "or I will shoot".

"How did you…" the commander started angrily, as he glanced at his men cuffed together.

"Let's just say, I'm not as delicate as I may look," she glared at him. In her peripheral vision she saw the other men move toward her, still cuffed, attempting to coordinate an attack. She instantly fired the staser pistol twice, hitting each man in the chest without even turning her head to look. Their commander stiffened. "Don't worry, they are only unconscious. Won't ev'n feel pain. I changed the settin's," Jenny informed him.

Weaponless and without men, the commander's face was starting to show his fear.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"My friend back," Jenny stated furiously, "But you can't give that to me."

"I can guarantee your safety," he pleaded.

"No," Jenny scoffed, "Only I can guarantee my safety, as I have done."

"What do you want?" the man repeated.

"I will go to the Lord President on my own terms. Before I do so you and your comrades will tell him what transpired here. Ev'ry word will be true."

The commander hung his head in shame.

"Do you understand?" she asked.

He nodded.

"Answer me!" Jenny asserted.

"I understand," the commander stated, lifting his head and giving her eye contact.

"Good. Leave now, and take your men with you," she demanded.

The commander grabbed the pair by the cuffs binding them together and started slowly dragging them toward the door. Jenny stopped herself from laughing at his efforts. They will be in discomfort from being pulled around when they awaken.

When her attackers were gone, Jenny turned to the apparition of Vastra. "Well," she smiled, "It appears I have some work to do. And you must return to our friends, and eventually to your body".

"Are you alright, my dear?" the Silurian asked, she stepped close to Jenny, within arm's length. She peered at the vicious bruise forming on her wife's face with concern.

"If you like, you could kiss it and make it all better," Jenny said playfully.

Vastra hesitated, believing that any pressure on the inflammation could cause further pain. Then she remembered that she was just and apparition and that the touch would not be real. She leaned in toward Jenny to leave a soft kiss on the swollen cheek. Though neither woman could feel it, they both smiled at the intimacy of the gesture.

"I'll have to send you back now," Jenny told the lizard woman sadly, "But, I'll call you if I need you".

At first Vastra believed Jenny was joking, but the woman's earnest expression told her she was not. "Will you?" she asked, "and how will you do that?"

Jenny smirked again, "Let's just say, you have many pleasant dreams to come," she winked. Then Jenny closed her eyes and moved her arms toward Vastra. The women were holding each other, and they could feel it this time. This told the lizard woman that they must both be dreaming again. The bruise that was just on Jenny's face had disappeared. Their lips touched one last time, until Jenny pulled away. "I miss you," the woman said sadly, "But I cannot keep you in a dream forever."

"I know," Vastra responded as she let go.

"Until next time, my love," said Jenny, refusing to say the words "good bye".

"Until next time," the Silurian replied. She found herself returned to the conference call with the Doctor, Clara, River and Strax. She sat at her place at the round table. River greeted her with a nod.

"Jenny was attacked by what looked to be soldiers. She defended herself brilliantly though," Vastra reported with pride.

"Does she have a plan to return?" Clara asked.

"Not yet," Vastra told them, "But she said… she would be in touch."


End file.
